Our 2012 Holiday Cards & NextAdvisor

 our Christmas card display last year

When NextAdvisor contacted me about using their services to choose our Christmas cards, I knew I had heard about the company but wasn't too sure what they were all about. I asked some questions and did some research, and found out that they are a REALLY cool service that is free and available for anyone and everyone to use.

In a nutshell NextAdvisor is a comparision site that allows you took look at a ton of different options for whatever it is you need, and make a decision based on the information they provide. They review everything from credit monitoring services, online back up, web hosting providers, online diet programs, and much more. One thing that sets them apart from other similar sites is that they have a content team that actually tests out each service, making their reviews and comparisons much more in depth. Another difference is that no advertiser can pay for their ranking or placement on NextAdvisor- it's truly an editorial decision to rank them the way they do. Awesome right?

So, I decided to use the service to select my family's Christmas cards for this year. There are a million and one options, and over the past few years I've tried a bunch of different companies but always seem to choose my trusty favorite. I was excited to have use a site that would bring every photo card company to me, compare and review them, and maybe give me enough information so I could try something new.

The process was simple. First, I visited their main photocard review site and started exploring. In the past I had used TinyPrints, Shutterfly and Zazzle, but there were on a ton on the list I hadn't tried. I clicked over the comparison chart to see which companies matched up with what I wanted: good service, a great selection of beautifully designed cards, and high quality prints. Due to my parameters I was able to check quite a few off of my list right away.

I was left with a good handful, and decided to check out the reviews for each. Both Minted and TinyPrints' reviews stood out to me (seriously, check those reviews out- so in-depth and helpful!) so I then headed over to both of their individual sites to do some research on the kind of holiday cards they offered.

I visited Minted first and fell in LOVE with so many of their cards. NextAdvisor's review was right on- they were a little pricey for small orders but their quality was apparent and their selection was huge and really, really great. I loved that they offered a ton of simple designs that focused on the photo, but even if their busier designs you could still feel a really nice design element to them and so many of the cards made their way onto my "maybe" list.

Then I headed over to TinyPrints to check out their current card selection. I found some favorites there too, and again, NextAdvisor's review was spot on in giving them the overall win. I've used TinyPrints before and found their service and quality to be excellent, and I often choose them because I trust the company and I'm familiar with them.

In the end I decided to go with Minted to do our holiday cards this year. NextAdvisor's site was totally helpful for a few reasons but most of all because it allowed me to shop all of the sites in one place, and get honest reviews that gave me enough to move away from my "old favorite" and try something new. I am SO excited to check out our cards from Minted, and I will definitely be using NextAdvisor in the future to do all of the work for me!


*this is a sponsored post, but as always all opinions and writing are my own. xoxo

Tuesday Randomness

Welcome to my brain. It's a big mish-mash of thoughts today, so I thought I'd empty my head into this little blog. And while I'm at it, here's a random photo to go along with it. I snapped this high-quality mirror picture while in Flagstaff this past weekend while battling snow, ice and insane winds...but thankfully I packed for it. So grateful for that scarf right there- its warmth was my saving grace.

- I want to have a million babies. Hank will cringe while reading this- he is in the two-will-compromise-at-three camp and I am in the eight or nine camp. Uh what? Totally kidding. But really, to me there is nothing better than being a Mom and I'd love to have a whole house full of wild little things. Three I think. Maybe four. Although perhaps we should start with two...

- I don't like peplum tops. Maybe my shoulders are too broad but they look ridiculous on me.

- I don't know how I was ever vegan. Today shredding cheese for Henry's lunch turned into eating cheese straight from the block and I think a little part of me died from happiness. I'm so obsessed with Gouda cheese and I can't imagine life without it.

- I constantly go through this weird thing with the internet, maybe everyday, where I feel like I share too much. Then I don't care. Then I feel like I should share even more in order to be 100% genuine. Then I kind of do, then I feel uncomfortable because it's strange to have so many people read what you write. And then I write something like this and feel totally boring because really, no one cares. Make sense? And on a side note, any and every time I write about blogging I tell myself not to do it again...but then I inevitably do. 

- I think about getting pregnant with a second baby all of the time. I'm so, so excited for this to happen but then I think about having another c-section and I have this strange fear of of that needle in my back. If I think about it too much I get the chills and feel like I'm going to throw up. Weird that the needle is scarier to me than the surgery but that's where my mind goes.

- Recently I've realized that I need certain simple things to make me feel my best. I have no idea why it took me this long to really get it, but whatever, at least I now know, right? Specifically, I need to get at least eight hours of sleep, drink water all day long, avoid sugar, do straight cardio a few times a week, and read more than I watch television. It's so interesting to look back on periods of my life when I felt out of whack physically, and I was always missing one of these components. It can be hard to be successful in every single area but the more I focus on it, the better I feel.

- I've been writing this post on what makes me truly happy after being inspired by The Happiness Project and it's seems like the most simple thing but it's SO eye opening. Hank and I had the longest discussion the other night about what makes us happy, both separately and together, and I think it was such a good "couples" thing to do. I've been with the guy for over eight years so it's kind of rare to learn something totally new, but I feel like they're the best little surprise gems ever and doing this I got a couple of them. Maybe I'll share more about this later.

- I find Calliou to be insanely annoying. This is a bold statement, but he just might be the most annoying kid's TV character to ever exist. Dora is a close second of course, but Calliou takes the cake, at least in my book! Not in Henry's though, the kid LOVES him!

Mondays & Little Goals

source

Maybe I'm the odd one out but I love, love, love Mondays. I enjoy setting small weekly goals for myself every Sunday evening, and then waking up fresh on Monday morning, ready to work on them throughout the week.

Are you in the habit of making goals like this? I'm not sure why I started doing it, but I can remember all the way back to growing up in NJ and writing them out in my little black and red "C.W. Goetz Middle School" planner they'd give us each new year. I write things like "curl my hair every morning" or "do my homework every night before bed!" Nowadays those would be translated into "take time for me and get ready every morning" or "don't procrastinate scheduling posts- get things done early!"

I thought would be fun to share my goals here this week, and ask you guys to share yours too. Sometimes being accountable makes it a little easier, so if you'd like to participate, write your three goals out in the comments. I promise I won't badger you about them via Twitter!

Here are my 3 mini-goals for this week:

1. Lift up the people around me. Take time everyday to tell my family and friends how much I love and appreciate them. 

I'm good about this with Hank, but sometimes I get so caught up in our busy life that I forget to reach out to my faraway friends and family and let them know I'm thinking of them. This week I want to focus on doing just that.

2. Go to sleep by 10pm every night.

This is a huge issue for me. I stay up WAY too late doing dumb stuff and wasting a TON of time. Sometimes I'll just be online browsing blogs or "fake" online shopping (you know, filling up your cart but never checking out), and suddenly I'll realize it's 12:15am and Henry will be up in less then 7 hours. Ugh. So this week I am focusing on a 10pm bedtime. I tried last week and failed miserably. And let's just pretend it's not already 11:15. I had to break a goal to make a goal, okay?!

3. Do something new with Henry dveryday.

This is something I've been focusing on for awhile, and I'd like to continue it this week. "Something new" doesn't have to be a huge event or big deal, but we've both been enjoying breaking out of our comfort zone these recently and trying new things. This week I want to get some more outdoor time in before it gets even colder! I'm thinking a nice Autumn picnic is in our near future.

So that's me, what about you? I can't wait to see what you're working on this week.

Once upon a time I went away to college...

Once upon a time I went away to college, two and a half hours north of where my parents lived. I went knowing just a few people- one close friend from high school, a couple more from sports- but after growing up surrounded by the same people for so long, it was a totally different experience to be just plopped down in this new place, without my support system all around me. Luckily just over two hours wasn't so far at all, but it was still a shock to suddenly be on my own after being so not on my own my entire life.

They had all of the freshman arrive a week early to get acclimated to our new college world and attend some of the million events and activities happening all over campus. I remember contiuously seeing signs for Greek life and Rush Week and it started to get my wheels turning a bit. Sorority life? I wasn't too sure. I certainly hadn't come to college with the intention of rushing, but in the spirit of "new" that was pervading every inch of my life, I decided to try it out and dragged along my friend from home.

I think sometimes it's hard to really see life-changing events for what they are as they are happening, and I'm not sure if I really grasped just how much this would change my life. There's so much more to say about my four years as a Pi Phi- many more stories for another day for sure- but for now I'll just say that looking all the way back to 2000 I can't even begin to express how fortunate I am that I just did it. Through it and its connections I met my lifelong friends, the girls who I call my sisters and who are deeply intertwined into my life so naturally and easily that it's amazing to just step back and look at this family of friends we've created. We may not all be the same; in fact, we're insanely different, but over the past decade we've all grown together and apart, and back together again in different ways, that our now adult selves are able to really appreciate the strength and stability of our bond even more. We don't all talk all of the time, and naturally some of us are closer than others, but when we are all reunited it's as if no time has passed. And to me, that is the sign of a true friendship.

And now fast forward twelve years to the present. It's Fall again in Flagstaff, the leaves are orange and gold and red. It's freezing out, our breath clouding the air as we laugh and talk, and the clouds hang in the same way around the San Francisco Peaks just as they did ten years ago. I walk arm in arm with the girls I spent four years laughing and partying and studying with. The girls who have seen it all. We talk about old times and we catch up on our todays. We reminisce at how strange it is to be back together in this place, visiting our old haunts and walking the same steps we did, way back in the beginning. And we make wishes for the future, looking ahead to a day just like today and yesterday, when the six of us will walk arm in arm together again as little old ladies, thinking how strange it is to be back together in this place, visiting our old haunts and walking the same steps we did when we were young.

----------

She is a friend of mind.  She gather me, man.  The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.  It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind
  
-Toni Morrison, Beloved

CLOSED // Giveaway: Win a free night via Radisson for their 50th Anniversary!

WINNER:

-------------

As you guys know I don't do a ton of giveaways (or very many at all), but when I do, they're awesome! And this one is really wonderful and so perfect with holiday travel just around the corner.

This month I've teamed up with Radisson Hotels during their 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Rooms promotion to celebrate their 50th anniversary! They've chosen 50 of their favorite bloggers to give away one room a day, everyday, until December 10th. Each morning at 10:00AM EST that day’s blogger will be revealed through a tab on the Radisson Facebook page. You can enter on as many blogs as you'd like, so be sure to visit that tab daily to find out who the next blogger is!

 
To enter to win one night's stay at a Radisson hotel:

Leave a comment below with your full name and email address. Please be sure your email address is correct, as this is the way a representative from Radisson will contact you if you win.

For up to four additional entries:

Do one or all of the options below, then leave a separate comment for each. So in the end you may leave up to 5 comments for 5 entries! Those are some good odds!

1. Like Radisson on Facebook.

2. Like Sometimes Sweet on Facebook.

3. Follow me on Twitter.

4. Share via Twitter using this tweet:
I entered to win a free room through the 50 Years, 50 Days, 50 Rooms giveaway via @radisson & @danihampton! #Radisson50 http://tinyurl.com/aur7py9

I'll choose a winner tomorrow evening (Sunday Nov. 11) and post it here, so be sure to check back!

Weekend Links

Henry, post-voting on Tuesday. See that little sticker? He was so proud of himself.

Yay, Friday! Every week I sound like a broken record but I can't help it...I'm just so happy it's the weekend! This one should be especially fun too. Later today I'll be heading up to Flagstaff to meet up with five of my college girlfriends for a rare couple of days all together. I'm so excited to get lost in nostalgia visiting our favorite places and eating all of our favorite foods...and also catching up and making some new memories too. Feel free to follow along with me on Instagram as I (over)gram the weekend away (user name: danihampton). Then Sunday Hank, Henry and I have a fun family movie night planned. We're going through all the Disney classics to get ready for our Disney trip in a few months. So far Henry's favorites are Lady and the Tramp and Dumbo. My vote for this week's pick is The Little Mermaid...the best!

And usual, here are some links to enjoy. xo

----------

18 things you should say yes to. Such a fun article.

My friend's partner runs Welcome Home Cleaning, a cleaning service in Phoenix that uses all Method products. Pretty awesome, right? Check 'em out!

Still Juxing, still loving it! And, good news, the Jux app will be released soon!

I linked to this awesome e-book last week, but if you missed it, be sure to check out A Hip, Handmade Holiday. See my pal Emily's adorable promo video here.

Last Links post my "Tips for New Bloggers" link was broken and I couldn't fix it until later in the week. For those who missed it, here it is.

I've download almost all of these fonts- they're great...and free!

Okay, I think I am finally going to try these no-heat curls after seeing this tutorial. 

A wonderful post on happiness. 

A night at the museum...I would love to attend something like this!

92 years of women voting in pictures. Love this one.

Adore Cailyn's blog- check out her "Currently" post from this week.

Tofu pumpkin pie! Yum.

Annnd...pomegranate picking!

22 of your childhood style icons, revisited. Blossom anyone? Although I was actually more of a Six girl if you must know.

Remember how I asked for tips for Disney with a little one earlier this week? Well one of my sweet readers sent me this link on Modern Kiddo. Such a wonderful, informative post.

Love the "Teach Me Something" series on Michele's blog- this week's is pretty awesome.  Then head over to Jess' blog and learn how to crochet a rose!

Talk to your cab driver.

Deep in the woods. Enjoyed this post on one of my most favorite blogs.

Some discount codes from my sponsors:

15% off with "DREAM15" at Feathers and Sinew
15% off with "SOSWEET" at Moorea Seal

Speaking of shops, have you checked out my sponsor Zaia yet? 

Here are some fabulous blogs to visit: one, two, three and four. Have fun getting lost in those blogs...so much amazing-ness!

Finally, and most importantly, here are some blog posts from around the web via Sarah, about Hurricane Sandy. If you're interested in donating, The Red Cross is always a good option. One of my readers also sent a link to a fundraising site to help her family after everything they owned was destroyed.

Volunteer Sunday
The Side of the Storm You May Not See on TV
My Un-Marathon Weekend
Don't You Forget About Us

Literate & Stylish: Lindsay from elledoubleyouu

The premise of Literate & Stylish is simple, and the post is short but sweet- every Thursday I'll be showcasing a lovely lady and her favorite book. She'll share a few pretty photos showing off her personal style, along with her book of choice, and tell us why she loves it. 

from Lindsay (aka LW) of elledoubleyouu
 
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

As a high school English teacher and a voracious lifelong reader, I am constantly asked The Dreaded Question: what is my favorite book? I have come to realize that the reason I dread this question and have such difficulty answering it is that at this point in my life as a reader I have many different relevant responses, varying by genre, country, time period, etc., all filed away in my head.

So, for this feature I racked my brain to pick the perfect book to share. I considered a number of options, including The Sound and the Fury, The Time Traveler's Wife, Angelology, and Wuthering Heights. In the end, I decided to share one of my favorite books I've read in the past year, from my current favorite Young Adult author, Maggie Stiefvater. I have always been interested in YA fiction, and what I love about Stiefvater is that she takes mythology (such as werewolves and water horses) and writes about them within the YA conventions in a manner that is beautiful and intelligent. The Scorpio Races is Stiefvater's most recent novel, based on the mythology of water horses. Although I had never read or heard anything about the water horses prior to reading The Scorpio Races, I was pulled in by Stiefvater's action-packed descriptions of the racing, the majestic and otherworldly horses, and mostly by her characters, with whom I fell in love. One hing Stiefvater does so incredibly well in this book is to make characters that feel tangible and likeable and unique all at once. Sean Kendrick is nothing like your run-of-the-mill modern day YA male protagonist, which makes him even more delicious and intriguing.

This book has everything: horses, magic, action, a hot book boyfriend, a non-cliche love story, and an endearing female underdog to root for. Add in Stiefvater's bewitching way with words, and this book instantly rocketed onto my ever growing list of favorite books (mentally filed under YA and recently read).

I won't give any more away, but I strongly suggest reading this book, as well as Stiefvater's other novels.

see previous Literate & Stylish posts here. 

I used Amazon Affiliate linking in this post. To visit Amazon without my link, click here.